Brown nixes ‘card check’ union elections for farm workers

Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have given farm workers the option of using a “card check” election instead of secret ballots to choose union representation. Under the bill, if at least half of the current employees signed cards stating their preference for representation, employees could have submitted a petition for representation to the Agri­cultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB). The ALRB would have had five days to determine if a petition was valid.

In his veto message, Brown said he “appreciates the frustrations” of farm workers who try to unionize. However, he said the bill—S.B. 104—would have required restructuring “California’s carefully crafted agricultural labor law.”

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed five similar bills from 2007 through 2010.

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